06. On the Nature of Overpowered Servants

You're already planning out your Servant. You're thinking of their parameters, their skills, Noble Phantasm(s). Some of you are probably reading this and thinking "awesome! I know the strongest Servant, there's no way I'll lose!"

Stop that line of thought right now.

The truth is you probably will lose. The odds are 49 to 1, stacked against you. Chances are your Servant will ultimately perish while possibly giving out an anguished declaration of love to their Master as a goodbye. While you might have a Servant that'd be a total nightmare in a fight, all that will accomplish is word will get around and the other teams will make a gentleman's agreement to collectively kick your Servant's OP posterior. That is likely all that making an uber Servant will achieve for you.

On paper, Heracles or Gilgamesh should've cleansweeped the fifth war.

Guess who never won the fifth war in any of the routes.

On paper, EMIYA is total garbage.

Guess who was the last Servant to disappear in one of the routes.

Instead, make a Servant that you like or find interesting. Maybe there's a really cool legend you want to work with, but the Servant's garbage. Or maybe your favorite Servant is Hans but look at him. Don't worry about it. Again, the odds are stacked heavily against you. If you win, it'll be through a combination of smart playing, communication, and sheer dumb luck. Even then, it's mostly bragging rights. When this war is over, the deck is reshuffled and we start again.

Do you find Gilgamesh to be fascinating? Awesome, grab him! But don't grab him because you think it'll help you win. Because this site really is about the journey, not the destination. The fun is how your Servant and their Master make it through the war day by day. If they win? Awesome. If they lose? Cool, at least it'll probably be interesting. If they die horribly then it helps underline how this war is.

There's also the simple factor in that it's kind of our nature to root for the underdog. Even if you're the one playing the powerhouse, it's usually no fun if you can just one shot your opponent at will. That's boring. So if you really want to feel awesome? Make a garbage or mediocre Servant, and just go as far as you can. After all, assuming you win, what makes for a better story? The exceptionally powerful Servant who was a blatantly strong contender from the beginning? Or the left field underdog that somehow defied all odds to take the Grail?